Box or carton.



C. C. PALMER.

BOX OR CARTON.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2a, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

gn-uenfoz C. G. PALMER.

BOX OR CARTON.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1913 Z] vwe wto'a C 6. 7a/Zn 2 e7 3513 I115 elite sme l 2 sums-sums.

Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

COOLIDGE C. PALMER, OF ELIZABETH, NEW J'EBSEY.

BOX 03 CARTON.

p flcatlon 01m mm. Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

- Application ma'iipru 2|, 191a. Befle117o.784 ,003.

To all whom it may concern:

e it known that I, Goonmen G. PALMER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boxes or Cartons, of which the .following is a speciation.

The object of invention is to provide a box, carton, pa'c age or the like, capable I of being made of pasteboard, leather or other analogous material, wherein the parts may be firmly locked together, and whereby the cover or lid may be attached securely to the box parts by tongues or tabs having two different locking portions to interlock with two difl'erent but corresponding complemental locking parts on the box or carton, enabling one set of thelocking devicestobeinterlocked when the package is shipped, and then such locking parts can be severed or separated by the postal authorities for inspection of the contents of the box or carton, and the remaining' corresponding locking devices can then be interlocked for the further transmission of the box or carton through the mail.

My invention will be found advantageous by reason of the postal regulations under the present parcels post system, requiring that packages shall be shipped in such man- M nor that they can be opened for inspection 01? their contents and refastened for continued transmission through the mail.

In carrying out my invention I provide a box of suitable construction having a cover or lid provided with tongues for interlocking with slits in the box parts, which tongues have two locking portions, one beyond the other, and the corresponding complemcntal slits in the box parts are arranged in pairs and suitably spaced apart to engage with the respective locking portions of the tongues, the arrangement being such that when the cover or lid is first closed it may be fastened With the outermost locking portions of the tongues entering the corresponding slits in the box parts, and then said tongue portions may be cut away enabling the cover tobe raised for inspection of the contents of the box, then the box may be refastened by connecting the remaining innermost locking portions of the, tongues with the corresponding complemetal slits in the box parts for further transmission of the box. This enables the box to be securely closed both beforeand after it has been tails of improvement and combinations of parts that will be more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the claims. Reference is to be had to the accompanyng drawings forming part hereof, wherem-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved box or carton partly assembled, and having a cover or lid integral with the other box parts; Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the box closed and fastened for initial transmission through the mail; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3, 3, in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a plan view of a blank from which the fol-da-ble box is adapted to be made; Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2, illustrating the cover secured by the innermost locking portions of the tongues, as would be the case after inspection of the contents of the box by the postal authorities; g. 6 is a section on the line 6, 6, in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the box provided with a removable cover embodying my invention; and Fig. 8 is a cross section of Fig. 7, illustrating the cover fastened in position by the outer locking portions of the tongues on the cover.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

While the box, carton or the like embodying my invention may, generally, be made in any suitable or Well-known manner. I have illustrated a box in many respects similar to the box or carton shown 111 my Letters Patent No. 926,208, issued June 2%), 1909.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 1 indicates the bottom; 2, 3 and 7 the sides and end walls, and4 the cover or lid, for the box. The ends or end walls are formed of parts similar to each other, and shown comprising the flaps 5, 6, respectively projecting from the sides 2, 3 and the flaps 7 extending from the bottom 1. The flaps 5 are shown provided with slits 8 adapted to receive the flaps 6, and the latter are shown provided with angularly disposed edges 9 terminating at the notches 10 from which the edges of the fiapscxtend in a curved or concave form at 11 to or near the end portion 12. curved edge 11 adjacent to the notch 10 is that when such curved edge of flap 6 is entered in the notch 8 of the'complemental flap 5, the flap 6 may the more readily slide along the bottom of slit 8 for interlocking notch 10 with said slit, thus avoiding cramp-.

ing and crowding of the flaps, overcoming danger of injuring them, and making a firm lock between the flaps. T he blank is scored on suitable lines to permit folding of the box parts, as illustrated in Fig. 4:, so that the parts may be readily assembled. The cover or lid 4-, in Figs. 1 to 6, is shown f rmed integral with the blank of the box parts, while in Figs. 7 and 8 the cover or lid 4 is made separable from the box parts. Ihe cover is provided with one or more tongues 14, adapted to be bent from the cover to overlie the box sides and ends respectively. l have shown the tongues 14 as provided upon the Fig. 2.

flaps 15 bent from the cover. One or more tongues may be at the corresponding edges of the cover, according to the size of the box or carton, or the character of contents to be carried. The tongues 14 are provided with two locking portions 16, 17, one beyond the other, adapted to engage corresponding slits 18, 19, shown spaced apart in the sides 2, 3, and the flaps 7, in suchpositions as to respectively receive the outer locking portions 16 and the corresponding inner looking portions 17 of the respective tongues 14. The locking portions of the tongues are spaced apart substantially the same as the slits 18, 19, for proper engagement therewith. While in Figs. 1 to 6 the arrangement is such that looking tongues 14 are at three edges of cover 4, the opposite edge of which cover is hinged to a portion of the box side 2, the arrangement in Figs. 7 and 8 is such that the cover 4; is separate from the box and removable, and is shown provided with looking tongues 1t along each edge of the cover, each tongue having two locking portions 16, 17 The arrangement is such that when the box sides and tongues are assembled, and the box is to be mailed or shipped, the cover is closed and the outer lockingportions 16 of the tongues 1 1 are engaged with the corresponding slits 18, thereby holding thecover closed. When it is desired to open the box, as for inspection of its contents by the postal authorities, the tongues 14 may be cut or torn just above the slits 17 as in dicatcd at the dotted lines 20, where the tongue 11 may be provided with directions, such as Cut here, and as illustrated in After the contents have been inspectcd the cover will be closed again and the remaining lockingv portions 17 of the tongues 14 will be entered in the slits 19 of The advantage of I the manner the box sides and ends, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, for final and permanent looking of the coverfor further transmission of Th1s arrange the box through the mail. ment affords a complete and efiicient means of initial looking or fastening of the cover to the box, enabling the convenient and expeditious opening of the box and refastening of the cover, without in any manner detracting from the secure closing of the cover, and facilitating the operation, no strings being required for initial or subsequent fastening of the cover upon the box, although they may be used if desired.

While I have illustrated my inventionin connection with a form of folding box, which I find advantageous for the purpose intended, it will be understood that my invention is not limited to the particular form of box or its cover, as the same may be varied, within the scope of the. appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having now described my invention what ll claim is:

1. A box or carton having a bottom and walls, and a cover therefor provided with tongues having a plurality of successively usable locking portions, spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the tongues said box walls having spaced locking means separate from one another and complemental to the corresponding locking portions of said tongues.

2. A blank for a box or carton having a bottom, sides and cover portion integral, with flaps extending from the ends of the side and the bottom portions, one of the side portions having a pair of separate spaced slits and the flaps of the bottom poreach locking portion being arranged to interlock with one of said slits.

Signed at Elizabeth, in the county of Union, and State of New Jersey, this 24th day of April, A. D. 1913.

COOLIDGE C. PALMER. Witnesses:

T. F. BOURNE, Manna F. WAINRIGHT. 

